The present invention relates to a drawer slide. More particularly this invention concerns such a slide which can be latched in closed, partially open, and fully open positions.
A standard drawer slide comprises a profiled rail that is fixed in the support, a complementary profiled rail that is attached to the drawer and that fits with the fixed rail, and a plurality of balls riding between the two rails. Normally two such slides extending parallel to each other and spaced apart transversely to the direction the drawer slides in are used to mount the drawer.
In the standard system the inner and outer rails of the slide are generally complementary and are formed with respective outwardly open and inwardly open track grooves in which the balls ride. This construction is fairly complex and, therefore, rather expensive, requiring both rails to be manufactured to very tight tolerances.
It is also known to provide some sort of latching mechanism on standard rails. This mechanism is normally also fairly complex and adds considerably to the overall bulk, in particular height, of the slide. While such a latch is required when a drawer is provided in a boat, truck, or airplane to prevent the drawer from sliding open when subjected to lateral G forces, it is in exactly this application that the extra space for the latch is not available or can be ill afforded. Thus recourse is normally had in these applications to a separate drawer latch.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved drawer slide.
Another object is the provision of such an improved drawer slide which overcomes the above-given disadvantages, that is which is extremely compact and also very inexpensive to manufacture.
A further object is to provide an improved latch system for such a slide.
A drawer slide has according to the invention an outer rail forming a plurality of parallel and inwardly open tracks, an inner rail fitting in the outer rail and having a plurality of flat surfaces each confronting and extending parallel to a respective one of the tracks, and a respective row of balls in each of the tracks and riding on the respective inner-rail surface. Normally each of the flat surfaces is perpendicular to a bisector of the respective track corner.
Such construction is extremely simple. The balls ride on flat planar surfaces of the movable inner rail and in the corners of the fixed outer rail. These parts can be made relatively cheaply, yet will provide sure and smooth sliding action.
The outer rail according to the invention has a plurality of substantially planar portions together forming a plurality of corners forming the tracks. More specifically the outer rail has a normally horizontal bight portion having outer edges, respective planar lower side portions extending upward from the outer edges and forming therewith corners in turn forming tracks, respective planar upper side portions extending upward from upper edges of the lower side portions, and respective planar upper end portions extending inward from upper edges of the upper side portions and forming therewith corners in turn forming tracks.
Similarly, the inner rail has a normally horizontal bight portion having outer edges, respective planar upper side portions extending downward from the outer edges and forming upper outer surfaces confronting the corners between the respective outer-rail upper end portions and outer-rail upper side portions, and respective planar lower side portions extending downward from lower edges of the inner-rail upper side portions and forming lower outer surfaces confronting the corners between the respective outer-rail lower side portions and the outer rail bight portion. The upper and outer surfaces are generally perpendicular to each other and, as mentioned above, each perpendicular to a bisector of the respective outer-rail corner.
The portions form obtuse angles at the corners. Thus the balls will roll on two surfaces of the outer rail and one surface of the inner rail.
In accordance with the invention two such slides extending parallel to each other are provided with connecting struts extending horizontally between and fixed to the inner rails. A handle is pivotal about an axis transverse to the rails on the inner rails and carries a pair of fingers movable transversely of the rails on pivoting of the handle. Respective latch strips fixed to the outer rails are each formed with at least one vertically open latch hole in which the respective finger is engageable. In order that the drawer mounted on the struts can be arrested at any end or intermediate position, each of the latch strips is formed with a row of holes extending parallel to the respective rails.